King Gnah

22-CLUBS

ANYA

It was already past lunchtime, and Kenny was nowhere to be seen. I tried calling, but the idiot turned off his phone or something, because he wouldn't pick up.

Everyone was present except him. We were meeting with our homeroom teacher to talk about the club activities. Apparently, the rest of the class had this sorted out, but we were not present at the time.

Ms Cole cleared her throat and got our attention, "Seth, eyes are up here." She began, then Seth put away his phone. "All your forms are in order. The schedules for the club activities vary according to the club itself. But, if I may ask, why are you all in the martial arts and self-defence club?" She put her papers down and looked to each one of us.

I spoke up before the rest had the time to think about it. "PTSD, ma'am."

She looked a little sceptical, "Is...that it?"

"Afraid so," I said and mentally shut down the conversation.

From the look on her face, she had let it go and was currently rising from her seat. She gestured for us to follow her as she took us on a tour around the culture wing.

This was the part of the castle where all the leisure and club rooms were. We could already hear the sound of the student hanging around the wing before we got to it. The place was lively.

Andy and Caleb chose their cocurricular as music, so we stopped by the music room, and they got to meet the club president and supervisor. They seemed kind of mean, but they had to zip it. In my opinion, they were scared of Ms Cole for some reason.

We passed by the theatre, and Stacy and Ray did their thing. Meeting people and the works. Seth and I were in art. I chose it just because it so happens to be one of those things that I am naturally good at. We met the people there, the stares were hostile to say the least.

John and Kenny had to try out to join the basketball team. Those two loved the sport and were crazy enough about it to compete in the country's junior league every year by bribing their way onto the team.

Lawrence actually did the bribing for them so that they'd have to leave for a two month basket ball camp.

But Kenny was not around, so John signed them both up for trials on Friday of the coming week. 

Last stop was the dojo. I was excited to see it, but I had to swallow it. When I looked around me, everyone was so composed that it almost felt embarrassing to be this excited.

"Look alive," Ms Cole called out as she pushed open the heavy double doors. The noise hit me from the inside. "This is the dojo. You will have a split timetable with the gymnastics team. The morning drills shall be at the gym and occasionally on the pitch. Any questions?"

John leaned his elbow on my shoulder and half raised his hand, then asked, "When do we start?"

I could feel the redness on my face as it got warmer. Was I the only one about my excitement? 

"I will have to refer you to the representative. Hold on..." she turned to go look for them. 

This was my cue to allow my eyes to wander around. The floor was covered in mats, and the ceiling was impossibly high. The theme here seemed to be maroon and white. Very classy. A bunch of people were sparring, and I saw this one guy practising the roundhouse kick. I can do that, I thought.

"You're really impressed," Seth said to me in an amused tone. I looked to him, and just that was enough to make him cackle. "Your face looks like a kid on Christmas!"

"Oh, shut your trap!" I pull him into an arm lock, but he falls into another fit of giggles, and we play around like that until I hear Ms Cole clear her throat very angrily. I stop, stare and let Seth drop to his knees. John helps him up, while laughing too.

Ms Cole gestures to the concrete hexagon in the very centre of the room. It looked as big as the sumo wrestling circle. "That's the captain, go wait on him. I'll be on my way then," she nodded goodbye and left. 

We walked over and just spread out around the hexagon and watched these two guys in close combat. A fall on this type of surface could be fatal. But my mind went for a second at the dude in cargo pants and a tank top. Cairo? What was he doing here? Was he a member?

I was staring, trying to figure out the obvious answers to my own dumb questions, when we locked eyes. It was like time froze in that instant(and maybe it did), but the distraction was enough to let the opponent take the upper hand, and he was slammed into the ground with a leg twist seconds later.

He tapped out as soon as this happened and took a second to catch his breath. His opponent mumbled something to him and left. The rest of us stared and waited. For what, you may ask? I had no clue.

Cairo finally stood up, panting and took one sweep of his audience, then at me. "Joining my club, are we?"

No one answered, and I noticed they were looking at me to do so. So I did, "If you're signing us up," I replied.

A playful smirk played on his oddly cherry lips before he hopped down and stood across from me, but too close. About a foot or less away. I had the urge to square him up. "You'll damage your pretty face..." he spoke softly, then leaned into my ear. "It'd break my sorry heart," he whispered.

 I almost wavered. I could feel his breath on my neck, but I decided to counter, "It would break anyway. I'm not for the weak." Then I stepped back and gave him my hand to shake, "Go easy on us." I stressed the 'us' for him specifically.

Cairo's eyes ran me over before taking my hand and shaking it, "I should be asking you that."

We stared at each other until Andy coughed. Really loud. I drew my hand and looked her way. Only then did I notice the look on their faces. 

The look said it all. This is so embarrassing.